Adjustable furniture leg



April 11, 1961 N. E. BLANKE ADJUSTABLE FURNITURE LEG Filed July 29, 1959 gm F/g. 3

INVENTOR.

NATHAN E. BLANKE ATTQRNYEYS 2,978,712 Patented Apr. 11, 1961 ADJUSTABLE FURNITURE LEG Nathan Eugene Blanke, 1537 Luxor Road,

' East Cleveland 18, Ohio Filed July 29, 1959, Ser. No. 830,274

8 Claims. c1. -310 This invention relates generally to a supporting element which is adjustable in length, and more particularly to a supporting leg for furniture pieces which can be manipulated to adjust the height of the furniture. The adjustable support leg, hereinafter described, has particular utility in connection with sofas, settees and the like which are used principally as seats, but which are also utilized for sleeping purposes. For seating purposes, it is ordinarily desirable that the piece be tilted or inclined in the direction of the backrest, so as to provide a comfortable seating posture. For sleeping purposes, the sloping support surface is undesirable and a level body-supporting surface is required.

It is the primary object of my invention to provide supporting legs for furniture pieces which are adjustable in length to establish a level supporting surface or an inclined supporting surface, as may be required.

Another object of my invention is to provide a support leg of the character described, which is adjustable from one position to another by the sequential transfer of weight on the leg.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a furniture piece having rear support legs embodying the features of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the adjustable leg of Fig. 1, portions thereof being removed to show details.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the leg adjusted to its lengthened position.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawings, I have shown a furniture piece in they form. of a sofa having a back rest 11. The sofa is supported by two or more ground-engaging support members or legs 12 at the front of the sofa, and by two or more groundengaging support members or leg assemblies 13 which are adjustable in height and which are disposed at therear of the sofa.

For seating purposes, it is desirable that the sofa seat be inclined or tilted downwardly toward the backrest 11, as illustrated. To accomplish this, the front legs 12 are longer than the rear legs 13. However, if the sofa 10 is to be used as a sleeping couch, it. is desirable that the sofa seat be level, as shown in phantom outline in Fig. 1, and this can be accomplished by lengthening the rear legs 13 to elevate the rear portion of the sofa.

To permit a change in. the length of the leg 13, I have provided a mechanism for adjustment which is best shown in Figs. 2-4. The leg 13; includes a-Jeg body 1.4-: which is. of cylindrical form and may be of any'suitable material, such as wood, metal or the like. The leg body 14 is mounted slidably in a tubular shell or casing 15 for both longitudinal and rotary movement relatively thereto. The'bottom end of the body 14may have secured thereto any desired auxiliary piece, such as a glide button or caster 16.

Y The upper end of the casing 15 is provided with suitable means for attaching it to the furniture piece 10, here shown as a mounting flange 17, which is afiixed to the casing as by welding, and is provided with openings 18 for the passage of bolts or screws (not shown).

A portion of the Wall of the casing 15 is removed to provide a guideway or track in the form of a cam slot 19 of a selected configuration. The slot 19 includes a longitudinally-extending upper track 20 and a longitudinally-extending lower track 21, which is circumferentially spaced from the track 20. The upper terminus of the track 20 is located closer to the upper end of the casing 15 than is the upper terminus of the track 21. The lower ends of the tracks 20 and 21 are de fined by the convergent guide edges 22 and 23, respectively, of the cam slot 19, which meet or intersect at a median point 24 which provides a dwell. The tracks 20 and 21 are separated by a guide tongue 25 which is defined by the convergent guide edges 26 and 27 of the slot 19. The edges 26 and 27 intersect at a median point 28 whichis longitudinally spaced from and above the dwell 24.

The leg body 14 is provided with an actuating element in the form of a laterally extending projection 29 which is adapted to project into the slot 19 and is movable therein. Conveniently, the projection 29 may be the head of a rod or threaded stud 30 which is removably secured to the body 14 after the leg body 14 has been inserted in the casing 15.

Pivotally secured to the exterior of the casing 15 is a shiftable guide element or arm 31 which has portions adapted to overlie portions of the cam slot 19. The lowermost portion of the arm 31 is in the form of a guide tongue 32 which overlies the guideedges 26 and 27 of the tongue 25. One edge 33 of the tongue 32 is directed toward the upper track 20 and the opposite edge 34 of the tongue 32 is directed toward the lower track 21 and terminates in a shoulder or abutment 35 which overlies the upper terminus of the track 21.

The upper end of the arm 31 is provided with an upwardly inclined shoulder or abutment 36 which is adapted to overlie the upper terminus of the track 20 when the arm 31 is rotated to the position shown in Fig. 3.

A housing 37 is secured to the exterior of the casting 15 to conceal the foregoing described structure and to prevent damage thereto. The walls 38, 39 of the housing may also serve as abutments to limit the extent of pivotal movement of the upper end of the arm 31 during operation of the mechanism, although the pivotal connection 40 for the arm 31 will ordinarily frictionally retain the arm against free swinging movement.

The adjustable leg 13 is designed to adjust itself in response to a. sequential raising and lowering movement of the casing 15 relatively to the leg body 14. When the projection 29 abuts the upper end of the track 21 the leg body is substantially fully telescoped in the casing 15 and the leg 13 is in its low or short arrangement as in Fig. 2. If the casing 15 is now elevated slightly as by raising the rear of the sofa10, the body 14 will, by its own weight, stay in contact with the ground or floor, thus causing the projection 29 to move downwardly in the track 20 until it reaches the median point or dwell 24 of the cam slot 19. During this downward movement, the guide edge 22 cams the projection 29 so that the body 14 is caused to rotate slightly to bring the projection 29 to the dwell position. The guide arm 31 remains in the position shown in Fig. 2.

If the sofa is now lowered, the projection 29 is caused to move upwardly relatively to the casing and engages the edge 34 of the tongue 32 thus cammingthe projection in the direction of the lower track 21. The'abutment of the upper portion of the arm 31 with the wall 38 of the housing 37 limits the counterclockwise pivotal movement of the arm 31 (Fig. 2) and the projection 29 travels up the guide edges 34 and 27 and into engagement with the shoulder 35. As the pro jection moves to rest at the upper terminus of the track 21, it causes the arm 31 to pivot clockwise to the position of Fig. 3 in which the shoulder 36 of the arm overlies the upper end of the track 20. The leg body 14 projects from the casing 15 providing a high or long leg arrangement, as shown in Fig. 3.

If the rear of the sofa 10 is again raised slightly, the projection 29 moves downwardly in track 21 and is cammed by the guide edge 23 of the slot 19 to the median position 24. Upon lowering movement of the casing 15, the projection 29 moves vertically upward into engagement with the edge 33 of the tongue 32 which is now disposed to the left of the median point, as shown in Fig. 3. The wall 39 of the housing 37 prevents further clockwise rotation of the arm 31 when it is thus engaged by the projection. The projection is cammed by the edges 33 and 26 into the track and engages the shoulder 36 of the arm 31, causing the arm to pivot counter-clockwise to the position shown in Fig.

2, as the projection comes to rest in the upper terminus of the track 20. The leg body 14 is thus restored to the low or short position, first described.

It will be apparent that whether there be two or three or more adjustable legs 13 supporting the rear of the sofa 10, all of them will be adjusted in length uniformly and simultaneously each time the rear of the sofa is raised and lowered in the manner heretofore described. Furthermore, although conventional legs 12 have been described as supporting the front of the sofa, it will be apparent that the adjustable legs 13 could be used instead, so that the overall height of the furniture piece. could be adjusted and tilting could be accomplished in either direction, as desired.

The differential in length between the low and high positions of the leg body 14 can be established as desired for any particular requirement by properly locating the upper terminus of each of the tracks 20 and 21 in the casing 15.

The adjustable leg assembly 13 is free of springs and numerous moving parts, and is positive in operation. Adjustment of one or several of such legs simultaneously is conveniently and automatically accomplished by a sequential raising and lowering of the piece supported by the legs, without any necessity for manual manipulation of each leg itself. Although I have described the use and operation of my invention in association with a sofa or similar furniture piece, it will be apparent that the 4 and a body-engaging member longitudinally movable relatrvely to each other, first retaining means provided on said leg assembly for limiting-relative longitudinal movement of said members to a predetermined first position, second retaining means associated with said leg assembly for limiting relative longitudinal movement of said members to a predetermined second position, said first position-establishing a greater effective length of said members than said second position, and third means responsive to sequential raising and lowering of said body for guiding said members alternately into said first and second positions.

2. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein one of said members is provided with a guide track, the other of said members-movably engages said track, and the terminal portions of said track constitute said first and second retaining means.

3. A combination as defined in claim 2 wherein said third means comprises a movable guide element having spaced portions alternately disposed in the path of movement defined by said guide track, said guide element being shiftable to direct said track-engaging member toward one terminal portion of 'the track in response to the engagement of said track-engaging member with the other terminal portion of said track.

4. An adjustable leg assembly, comprising a tubular member, a body member slidably and rotatably secured telescopically to said tubular member, first retaining means provided on one of said members for limiting relative longitudinal movement of said members to a predetermined first position, second retaining means associated with said one member for limiting relative longitudinal movement of said members to a predetermined second position, said first position establishing a greater eflective length of said members than said second position, and a' movable guide element carried by one of said members, said guide element being shiftable in response to relative reciprocable movement of said members into either position to establish a path of relative movement for said members into said other position.

5. An adjustable leg assembly, comprising a tubular member, a body member slidably and rotatably mounted within said tubular member, a continuous guide track provided on said tubular member, said guide track having the one terminal portion thereof in longitudinally and circumferentially spaced relationship to the other terminal portion thereof, a projection provided on said body member and engaging said guide track, and a guide element carried by said tubular member, said guide element being movable in response to abutment of said projection with either of said terminal portions of said U track to establish a path of movement for said projecleg is usable as an adjustable support element in association with other bodies or pieces Where such support is required. Furthermore, in some instances, it may be desirable that the casing 15 serve as the ground engaging element and that the leg body 14 be secured to the piece being supported.

It is to be understood that the forms of my invention, herewith shown and described, are to be taken as preferred examples of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a furniture piece, the combination of a body to be supported, a telescopic leg assembly for said body, said leg assembly including a ground-engaging member tion toward the other terminal portion of said track.

6. A combination as defined in claim 5, wherein said guide element is pivotally secured to said tubular member and said element has oppositely disposed portions alternately movable into the path of movement of said projection toward one or the other of said terminal portions of said track.

7. A combination as defined in claim 6, wherein an abutment is provided on said tubular member in the path of rotary movement of one of said portions of said i guide element to limit said rotary movement.

8. A combination as defined in claim 7, wherein said abutment comprises a housing secured to said tubular member in overlying relationship to said guide element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

